News

Senior Softball All-Stars seek fundraising help

(Seguin) - The Seguin Little League Senior Softball All-Stars are in the midst of a fast and furious fundraising effort as they prepare to compete in the Southwestern Regional Tournament in Pineville, Louisiana on Friday. Seguin Little League has set up a Paypal account to accept donations online on its website. The link to make donations can be found at www.eteamz.com/seguin.

Also, donation checks can be hand delivered to Seguin Little League president Cindy Bundick at Westerholm-Koehler Insurance, 533 E. Court Street in Seguin. Checks can also be mailed to P.O. Box 1351, Seguin, TX, 78156-1351. Those making donations should write "Seguin Softball Donation" in the memo line of the check.

The Seniors Softball All-Stars won the Texas East State Championship on Wednesday with a 5-1 victory over Houston-Northside National and open the Southwestern Regional Friday at 6 p.m. against Lake Charles, Louisiana.

Weekend fundraiser to honor deputy's life, raise funds for family

The community is being invited to gather together to celebrate the life of Guadalupe County Sheriff Deputy Andie Simmons (center) Sunday as the Guadalupe County 100 Club hosts a barbeque sausage and chicken fundraiser for his family. Simmons died unexpectedly the day before Father's Day at the age of 34. Pictured are Simmons with his twin daughters Allison (left) and Addison (right).

By Jessica Domel

(Seguin) -- While they may be too young to understand what's happening this weekend, two 11-month old girls will grow up one day knowing how well-respected and loved their father really was by the community he served. Sunday the Guadalupe County 100 Club is hosting a barbeque sausage and chicken fundraiser for the twin daughters and widow of Guadalupe County Sheriff's Deputy Andie Simmons who died unexpectedly June 18 at the age of 34.

Brooke Simmons, wife of the late Andie Simmons, told KWED radio and the Seguin Daily News that she appreciates all the hard-work and dedication that has gone into planning the event in memory of her late husband.

"I am honored that there are so many people that are supporting him and that respected him enough to come out and show their support. It's been very comforting for me to know that there's that many people that cared about him," said Simmons.

The event Sunday will include live music by Double Down and the Landon James Band, a DJ, silent auction, bucket drop and barbeque chicken and sausage plates from 4 to 8 p.m. inside the Knights of Columbus Hall. To-go plates will be available before the hall doors open from noon to 4 p.m.

Dozens of area businesses and residents have donated silent auction and bucket drop items for the event to raise additional funds for the family. Simmons says the generosity people have shown is overwhelming.

"It's kind of overwhelming because, to me, it seems like it's had a ripple effect. It's sad that in our life we don't really know how many people care about us until something like this happens, but it's definitely humbling to know that there's that many people out there who are willing to give their time, money and effort. Like I said, it's just been so comforting to know that basically I have this big community support around me and so many resources. I know if I ever needed to count on somebody for something, it's going to get taken care of," said Simmons.

Andie Simmons had just left work at the sheriff's office June 18 and was at a family reunion when he fell ill. He died en route to the hospital. It was the day before what would have been his first Father's Day with his twin daughters Addison and Allison.

"He was a wonderful husband and father, and just an all-around great person. He had a wonderful sense of humor, and I think that is kind-of what drew people to him. He was very laid-back and often very quiet, but very funny when he would interact with people. He had a great sense of humor and people really enjoyed that. He was just kind-of a stand-up kind-of guy. He's the kind of person you could always depend on and he would do anything to help anybody out," said Simmons. "He's an honest, hard-working, just loveable guy. He had a sensitive side, which he may not want me to reveal, because he sometimes wanted to be a man's man, but he really had a caring hard, and I think that's what made him so good at his job. He could be tough like he needed to be as a police officer, but then also to be sensitive enough to care about where people are coming from and what they're going through. He was a very loving father. He loved to interact and play with the girls. He was an adoring husband. He put me on a pedestal from day one, and I haven't gotten down since. Family and friends were what was important to him. Being committed to those relationships was important to him."

All of the funds raised at the 100 Club's fundraiser Sunday directly benefit the Simmons' family.

"I just want everybody to know how grateful I am. There's not even words to express how grateful I am for especially the fundraiser and everybody's hard work that has gone into it, and all of the people who have been willing to donate their times, efforts, silent auction items and everything. It's truly overwhelming to me to know that there's that much support, and I just want everyone to know that I'm so, so grateful," said Simmons. "I'm so appreciative of all of that."

Tickets for the fundraiser are $8 each and may be purchased at the door Sunday. If you can't make it out to the fundraiser Sunday, but would still like to help donations can also be mailed to the Simmons Family in care of the Guadalupe County 100 Club at P.O. Box 454, Seguin, Tx. 78155. Donors are asked to note on the check that the donation is for the Simmons family.

Seguin ISD invites public to open house of new schools

By Cindy Aguirre-Herrera

(Seguin) -- After months of watching each wall go up, residents will finally get the chance to check out the new learning environment at both the new Oralia R. Rodriguez Elementary School and the newly-transformed W.B. Ball Early Childhood Center.

Seguin ISD Superintendent Irene Garza says the district will be celebrating the completion of the two bond projects. Dr. Garza says the dedication of the facilities come at an exciting time for the school district and just in time for the start of a brand new school year.

"We invite all of the community to come out and celebrate the opening of these two facilities. They are beautiful facilities that our students are certainly going to enjoy -- our teachers and our staff are going to enjoy them just as well," said Dr. Garza.

The K-5 Rodriguez campus is adjacent to A.J. Briesemeister Middle School on West Kingsbury Street. A newly-renovated and reconfigured campus will also be celebrated at the former Ball Elementary School located at 812 Shannon Avenue.

The Sunday celebrations are extended to anyone in the community. Dr. Garza says the opening of a new school building is one of the most important investments that a community can make.

"Whether you have kids or not, these are facilities that have been constructed as a part of voter approved bonds so we invite all of the public to come in and see their dollars at work because both of them are facilities to definitely be proud of and facilities that will be of great use for many years to come in the Seguin ISD and the community of Seguin," said Dr. Garza

The dedication and open house of the Rodriguez campus will begin at 2 p.m. Sunday followed by the rededication of and open house of the new Ball Early Childhood Center at 3:30 p.m.

Canoeing lessons now available on Guadalupe River

By Cindy Aguirre-Herrera

(Seguin) -- Have you ever wanted to paddle on the scenic Guadalupe River but don't have the basic canoeing skills? The Seguin Parks and Recreation Department is hoping to get folks paddling by offering a couple of lessons. Instructor Rick Robbins says the skills are part of the park's new paddling trail.

"For the past few years, I've taught beginning canoeing lessons for the parks and recreation department and this year we decided to make it a little different because Texas Parks and Wildlife is developing this paddling trail for us along with the parks and recreation department so we decided that instead of just canoeing lessons. We're going to do a tour of the trail. The trail is going to be from Starcke Park to Red Mill Dam. So we're going to put the canoes in at Starcke Park, and we're just going to paddle the trail to Red Mill Dam and then back to the park," said Robbins.

Robbins says before paddling upstream, he, of course, will do some basic instruction for those who haven't canoed before.

"Before we start, I will cover basic skills and safety rules and everything. I teach canoeing at my outdoor ed. classes at Seguin High School so I'm used to working with beginners who haven't paddled before and so we can get you started where you can paddle with a canoe real fast. It doesn't take long to learn the basic skills," said Robbins. "I'd just like to see people get started paddling. We have a great resource here in town. Paddling is a great fitness activity and I'd like to see more people get involved in it.”

The first available session is this Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon and then again on Saturday, Aug. 21 at the concrete dock near the bowl pavilion. Children under 12 are allowed only if accompanied by a parent. Cost is $5 per person. The class is limited so participants are asked to call to reserve a spot. Canoes and equipment will be provided. To register in advance, call 830-660-0807.

Area officials, community members to be 'arrested' today for The Lodge

By Jessica Domel

(Seguin) -- An assortment of area residents will go directly to jail without passing go on Friday, but instead of playing by Monopoly's rules and going straight to jail, they'll need to grab over $200 before they land in the pokey. The trip to jail for the County Judge, a county commissioner and other locals isn't part of a giant board game, but instead is part of a fundraising effort to raise money for The Guadalupe County Children's Lodge, also known simply as The Lodge.

Jennifer Ficke, founder and CEO of The Lodge, says there will be a jail break fundraiser from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Friday at Seguin Youth Services to raise funds for the future children's shelter, which will open once its final contracts and paperwork are completed and approved by the state.

"There's been different individuals around town who've been selected to be arrested. Everybody's 'bail' was set at $250. So if you're approached by someone and asked to give $5, $10, $20, we're asking that you please support that individual or come down on Friday. We're holding the event locally at Seguin Youth Services right on Guadalupe Street. We will be providing lunch for those individuals who will be arrested or having individuals come get themselves out of 'jail,'" said Ficke.

This is the second time that The Lodge's board of directors has held a jail break fundraiser. Ficke says the emergency shelter will provide new clothing, toiletries, sheets and other personal items to each of the children who stay at The Lodge. Money and donations are needed so that the 13-bed facility will be ready when the state gives The Lodge its first contract.

"We're very, very grateful for the continued support and we do understand that it's taken a long time. We really appreciate the patience and the continued support of the community and the people who are making the donations and the contributions. We're doing everything we can to get this facility up and running," said Ficke.

Ficke and The Lodge's board of directors have been working on the project for almost a decade now. She says it's been hard work starting from the ground up, but it'll be worth it once The Lodge can start housing children who have been removed from their homes by Child Protective Services due to drug or alcohol abuse or physical, emotional or sexual abuse by their parents or guardians.

Currently, because there is not a children's shelter in Guadalupe County, Ficke says local children are being sent to San Antonio or to another far away location. She says this makes it harder on CPS caseworkers to spend a lengthy amount of quality time with the kids because they spend so much time on the roads going to and from the shelters. She says having a local shelter will also make it easier for the families to visit the children.

The goal for this year's jail break fundraiser is $5,000, and Ficke says she hopes The Lodge will be able to do that with the help of the community.

"We do have several county officials. I know this Mrs. (Elizabeth Murray) Kolb, I know that Judge (Mike) Wiggins, I believe that our commissioner in our area - Commissioner Baenziger (and) Mrs. Soechting (will be participating). We have people all over. I know that Bucky Kalina of Wal-Mart, Jimmy Langston from Advanced Home Health Services, Kristy Stone a local attorney who's also a board member has chosen different people to be arrested. I know that the Wuests are participating. We're just grateful for all the participation from everybody. We have school teachers from different ISDs throughout the county. We have different law enforcement organizations, so together as a whole, the community is coming together," said Ficke.

If you do not know one of this year's jailbirds or would simply like to donate, Ficke says you can stop by Seguin Youth Services today from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

"Anybody can come and drop off money. Of course, we'll take money from anybody who's wanting to donate. Anybody who's wanting information about The Lodge, you can come that day and find out about it. If you hear someone in the community or you know someone who's being arrested, we're asking that you just please, please give them their bail money - whether it's a dollar or $5 or how ever much you donate to get those people out," said Ficke. "Again, that cash that we're trying to collect will go to keep the organization until we can get our contract from the state."

All donations to The Lodge are tax-deductible. The Lodge itself is located on approximately 5.5 acres on FM 1117.

New H-E-B store in New Braunfels to open today

By Jessica Domel

(Seguin) -- Rumors have long been swirling in the Seguin community about plans for a newer or even a second H-E-B grocery store locally, and H-E-B officials are finally putting those rumors to rest. Dya Campos, director of public affairs for H-E-B, says that, as of this time, there are no plans for a new H-E-B store in Seguin; however, she did say that there is a possibility that portions of the local store will be renovated in January.

Campos could not comment further on the nature of the renovations, but did say that H-E-B is always looking for new ways that it can expand and serve its customers better. She says one way the grocery store chain is working to do that is by opening additional stores in communities just as they have in neighboring New Braunfels. The new store officially opened at 6 a.m. Friday.

"The store will have - it's an 88-thousand square-foot store located at the corner of Highway 46 and Loop 337. This store will have some slightly different features than the existing New Braunfels store. We'll have a Cooking Connection in the store, which is an area where we have a chef in the store who will teach families how to prepare healthy, nutritious and affordable meals. The store will also have a suishia which will have authentic, hand-rolled sushi made fresh daily," said Campos. "It will also have an expanded specialty wine collection offering more than 950 varieties of wine from around-the-world."

In addition to the wine collection and fresh foods, Campos says the other store will also offer several other features for New Braunfels shoppers.

"They will have a new and updated tortilla machine, which will make tortillas fresh every day, and they will have an expanded produce section, which will include a fresh cut fruit station. We will also include in the store a scratch-bakery, which will offer fresh, scratch breads made daily and rolls as well," said Campos.

Campos says H-E-B is excited to be able to open a second store in New Braunfels.

"New Braunfels is such a growing community and has a very strong public school system, which attracts a lot of families to the area. With the growth of New Braunfels, we saw in our and our customers saw a need for an additional store in the area," said Campos.

The new New Braunfels H-E-B is located inside the WestPointe Village shopping center at the corner of State Highway 46 and Loop 337.

Summer park programs offer up sizzling fun for area kids

Barbeque, auction, raffle to raise funds for Kingsbury VFD

By Jessica Domel

(Kingsbury) -- The Kingsbury Volunteer Fire Department is inviting the community to dine in its station and dance under the stars at its annual barbeque, auction and raffle this weekend. The annual fundraiser will kick off at 1 p.m with music by DJ Bo Peep and will continue until after a performance by Clint Taft and the Buck Wild Band at 9 p.m. Saturday at the Kingsbury Volunteer Fire Department Station on FM 1104.

Firefighter Patrick Howard says the annual fundraiser will have a little bit of something for everyone - including a water slide, games for children, a country store and bake sale.

"We'll be serving food at about 5 o'clock and that's going to include barbeque, potato salad, iced tea - there will also be other cold refreshments like sodas and beer. There's going to be a band starting at 9 after the live auction. That's going to be Clint Taft and the Buck Wild Band, and that's going to be under the stars for everyone's enjoyment," said Howard. "There's going to be a silent auction put on by the Women's Auxiliary. That money does get put towards the volunteer fire department, but there's also going to be a live auction, which is where the entertainment is. That's always fun to watch and participate in."

Barbeque plates will be served from 5:30 to 9 p.m. and are $6 for adults and $5 for children.

Howard says all of the proceeds from the event will benefit the volunteer fire department as it serves the community.

"The funding that we receive from the barbeque, auction and raffle go to our service to the Kingsbury area and the surrounding communities, go to filling up our trucks with water and gas so that we can fight fires and respond to medical calls as well as go to training," said Howard. "The county does give us some money, and we're very appreciative of that. We are also very appreciative of any money that we receive from the community and the surrounding area in the form of donations or in the form of auction items."

The Kingsbury Volunteer Fire Department is located at Highway 90 and FM 1104 in Kingsbury.

Master plan complete for new Seguin community park

By Darren Dunn

(Seguin) -- A new community parks could be in the works for the city of Seguin.

A master plan for a new park on Vaughn Street was approved during Tuesday night's meeting of the Seguin City Council.

The plan was done by Rialto Studio, a landscaping architectural firm from San Antonio. The city hired the firm to develop the new master plan. The Seguin Parks and Recreation Board recently signed off on the plan, and the city council followed suit this week.

Ken Fowler is one of the found partners and principals at Rialto. He says they originally asked to develop the land as a neighborhood park, but he says the scale of the park grew because of the amount of land available.

"A neighborhood park generally occupies a much smaller site, and we felt that because the size of the site being 47 acres, that it would be, not necessarily wasteful, but an under-utilization of a resource," said Fowler.

Fowler says they worked with staff and the parks board to develop the master plan. The final plan includes several amenities not found in any of the other city parks in Seguin.

"We went through a variety of amenities. We did some menu shopping with the parks board. We added some things, we subtracted some things. The list that we ended up with was pretty much a consensus. (We've included) trails, covered picnicking areas, children's playscape -- the playgrounds were very important. We do see a developed athletic field and it will have some lights, basketball courts (and) restrooms. We would do some additional tree planting for shade. The aquatic center, restroom (and) concession structure and a recreation community center were the key elements that formed the backbone of the plan," said Fowler.

The council approved the plan, but several raised questions about the costs that would be associated with some of the park's proposed features. Fowler says this is just a plan for the space. He says it will be up to the city to decide what it ultimately wants and what it can afford.

"It is a plan that will enable them now to pursue grant funding and help also to begin to establish, perhaps, budget line items for some of the items in the master plan. It can be developed over time. It's not develop it all, or develop nothing. It can be structured over a series of fiscal years -- add some things every year that can be afforded," said Fowler.

The proposed park was approved by voters as part of the Destination Seguin bond package a few years ago. The bonds provided funding to purchase the park, but the city did not have a plan in place to identify how the space would be used.

Summer peak hits Max Starcke Park

Roland Morales (left) Dalton Butler (center) and Angel Vaquez take a twirl on this tire swing at the Playscape in Max Starcke Park. Kids from Sugar N Spice Children's Academy are among those taking advantage of the summer fun at the local park. Parks and recreation officials say a full summer schedule remains for local families. This includes park rentals and summer camps. Photo by Andie Rangel Jenner

By Cindy Aguirre-Herrera

(Seguin) -- While the community looks over the master plan for a new park, the city hopes that you will retake a look at its old park. Officials in the parks deparment say there's still plenty of time to spend your summer in Max Starcke Park.

On top of that list is the Just for Kids Summer Day Camp. Parks and Recreation Program Coordinator Chandra Jobb says there are plenty of events still planned during the weekday camp at Mary B. Erskine.

"We still have slots available for that. We've got a lot of great activities going on over there -- some really awesome and new field trips this summer -- Malibu Grand Prix and Ripley's Believe It or Not being a couple of the new ones. Those are still on the calendar scheduled. We do arts and crafts. We do gym games with them. We've got some special events -- water day -- carnival is coming up which is always so much fun and our end of the summer bash as well. So we've definitely still got spots available for that and we're looking to get them filled," said Jobb.

Parks Superintendent Crystal Miranda says a list of rentals is also available for local families to enjoy.

"We still got availabilities for pool parties at the wave pool. We have the Max Starcke areas for birthday parties. The Bowl (and) the pavilions that are always great places for birthdays or any kind of special events that you may be having. Right now we still have a couple of Saturdays left open and we close Aug. 21 at the wave pool so time is wrapping up. They just call in and ask us what area they are interested in having a function and we'll let them know if it's available and we'll put them on the reservation list," said Miranda.

Costs for the various park facilities vary. Reservations can also be made for tennis courts, the six or 18 court volleyball complex, the Softball Four-Plex, Little League fields and the Fairpark Baseball Field.

The final arts and crafts program for the summer is also still available next month. Jobb says kids are invited to explore a variety of new and different arts and crafts techniques.
"We do an arts and crafts class. It's an hour long. It's $5 per participant. It's held at the parks and recreation office and they just come. We've got activities planned for them to create," said Jobb.

Those looking to get in a little exercise are invited to lap swim and water aerobics every Tuesday and Thursday at the wave pool. Lap swim is available on those days from noon to 1 p.m. while water aerobics is held from 7 to 9 p.m. The last day for both programs is Aug. 5. The park's department is also giving individuals a chance to master their tennis skills. The next available session will run from July 26-29 from 6 to 7 p.m. The lessons are open to kids enrolled in the second through 12th grades. Cost is $40 per student. To sign up call, instructor Mark Gonzales at 512-626-2051.

The Seguin Parks and Recreation office can be contacted by calling 401-2480.

Summer hours for the park are from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays and from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Fridays.

Viral, Bacterial Infections Treated In San Antonio Increasing

(Undated) -- Tropical Storm Bonnie has formed near the Bahamas and is on track to swirl through the Gulf of Mexico.

The National Hurricane Center reports the second named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season is packing winds of 40 miles an hour. Models show Bonnie traveling south of Florida and moving northwest across the central Gulf of Mexico. That's where BP is struggling to contain oil spewing from a broken rig.

The storm is expected to make landfall on the coast of Louisiana or Texas by early next week.

New vehicle registration fee coming; Fee will help make school crossings safer for kids in Guadalupe County

By Darren Dunn

(Seguin) -- A new vehicle registration fee will hopefully help to keep kids safe in Guadalupe County.

The Guadalupe County Tax Office will soon begin collecting an additional $1.50 for vehicle registrations in Guadalupe County. Tax Assessor-Collector Tavie Murphy says a law allows the county to impose the fee. The portion of the money collected will be given to cities in Guadalupe County to be used to maintain or upgrade school crossings. The money could also be used to help pay for crossing guards in each community.

"I've talked to several other counties that are doing this at this point. The 10-percent, of course, comes right off the top, and I would encourage you to dedicate that to my office," said Murphy. "My understanding is...you would take the county's money off next where it could be used for the sheriff's office, juvenile probation or deposit it in the general fund. Then the remainder, and this is the point that I asked several different counties counties about, the remainder has to go to all cities in the county."

Officials from the cities of Seguin, Schertz and Cibolo say those cities pay thousands of dollars each year to provide those safety services for children in the county. Seguin Mayor Betty Ann Matthies says they spent more than $20,000 on the service last year. She says this will help the city's provide safe passages to and from schools.

Seguin, Marion, Cibolo and Schertz all have schools located within their cities, but cities like Staples, New Berlin and Santa Clara, where they don't have schools -- those cities could pick a school in the county and give the money directly to the school to help pay for crossing guards or for the upkeep of school crossings.

The new few will not officially be collected until Jan. 1, 2011.

Financial assistance available for local flood victims

Some additional help may be coming for people whose homes suffered flood damage during the flooding that occurred last month. This house was on stilts, but some other homes got the full brunt of the flood waters.

By Jessica Domel

(Seguin) -- There may be more help on the way for area flood victims. Dan Kinsey, Guadalupe County Emergency Management Coordinator, says zero-interest, 20-year loans are available through the government for those people whose homes were damaged by flood or wind.

"The funds come through the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs under the home program. What it is, it's for folks who fall below 80-percent of the area mean family income. So the total household income has to be $46,240 or less. It has to be for their primary home. There can't be any liens on it other than a mortgage - so no tax liens, mechanics liens or anything like that. It is a zero-percent interest loan and based on the income, some or all of it could be forgiven over time," said Kinsey.

In early June, the New Braunfels area received over five inches of rain, which flooded that area. The following day, June 9, the water traveled downstream in Guadalupe and other counties - flooding homes along the hydroelectric lakes.

Kinsey says these loans are one opportunity for residents who were affected by the flooding to repair their homes.

"It caps out at $80,000 and one of the stipulations though is that the entire house has to be brought up to code. So if you have flood damage, so you need to go and replace drywall and carpeting and things like that, but part of your house isn't up to electrical code, you have to replace that part as well. You can't just replace the carpets," said Kinsey.

Because the loans stipulate that an entire home must be brought up to code, Kinsey says residents should think about whether or not they'd like to take advantage of the financial relief.

"Bringing it up to code is going to depend if they're in the city of Seguin, that's one code. If they're in the county, the county doesn't really have any building codes, but there are septic and floodplain regulations. So if you're house, let's say, it's not an elevated house, then you're going to have to elevate it. They need to be aware that there are some stipulations and they may be qualified but they decide not to participate based on the things that the program will make them do to their house," said Kinsey.
Home-owners who are interested in one of the loans are asked to contact Kinsey's office at 303-9702.

"There's a maximum that the county can get, so what we're going to do is ask people to call into my office and let us know that they're interested in the program and what we'll do is we will start taking names and numbers. Based on how many we get, we'll try to figure out if we're going to qualify, and from there, we will contact the people and let them know to start getting their documentation in line," said Kinsey.

Callers are asked to have their name, address, phone number and how much money, if any, they've spent to date on repairing the home available.

School board filing underway in Navarro ISD

By Cindy Aguirre-Herrera

(Geronimo) -- The Navarro ISD is on the hunt for potential school board candidates. Filing is officially underway to secure a spot on the election ballot during the November General Election. Superintendent Dee Carter says the school board election, slated for Nov. 2, will seek to fill four trustee positions.

"Beginning Monday morning, Navarro citizens can file for a place to run as a trustee. There are four spots that are coming up for election. The four incumbents right now in those positions are Mr. David Reiley, Dr. Greg Gilcrease, Mr. Steve Ramsey and Mr. Bill Peek. Whether they will elect to run again or not of course is their business but one or two of them have indiciated that they may have done their civic duty and may step down," said Carter.

The Navarro ISD is the only school district in the area that holds its school board election in November rather than in May. Plus, Carter says each elected position is for a four year term.

"This is different. We had changed our voting procedures and the length of the terms several years ago under legislation that required us to move to the four year term, and we aligned our election with the county for the general election date, so that's all very different. We're just finishing our transition period so that's why we have the four openings that will be coming up this November," said Carter.

Since the filing period is in summer and because there are several positions up for grabs, the district is making sure residents are informed. Carter says the district will even pair up a potential candidate with a current trustee to help answer any questions that they may have.
“So we're certainly very interested in reaching out to the community and talking with prospective candidates who maybe just have a passing interest right now, but we'd love the opportunity to sit down and visit. We did have a town hall meeting last Monday evening in order to try to get that word out to the community, we only had two people come. I’m glad we had two, but it was only two, and we may do that again in another couple of weeks just as word begins to get around and people begin to know that indeed we have an election coming up. The interest may get sparked," said Carter.

Filing information and applications are currently available in the Navarro ISD Central Office. The office will be open from July 26 through Aug. 23 from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays. The last day to file is Tuesday, Aug. 24. On that day, the office will remain open until 5 p.m.

Local dealership plans future move to IH-10

The Griffith Ford family tradition will soon have a new home on IH10. The car dealership, currently on West Court Street, has closed on property in between Ewald Tractors and the former Pigstand restaurant. Celebrating the investment are Griffith family members, from left to right: Chris Griffith Jr. and his wife Peggy, General Manager Scott Brown and owners Martha and Chris Griffith. Photo by Andie Rangel-Jenner

By Cindy Aguirre-Herrera

(Seguin) -- Griffith Ford Mercury Seguin is moving to IH-10. The local car dealership, currently located at 838 W. Court St., has closed on property on IH-10 West next door to Ewald Tractor.

Owner Chris Griffith says although the move won't be immediate, plans are already in place for a bigger and newer location.

"This is future expansion. We figure it will take about another two years before the architectural and planning stages are finished, and then we'd like to be in a new building in three years. We've got five and a quarter acres. Ford feels we need a little over two, and we bought the extra acreage just for future expansion. The property itself has 542 frontage feet, which is a lot of frontage feet, so we're really excited about the prospects," said Griffith.

"We're right across from Caterpillar and right across Bill Miller's and McDonald’s, and then I guess, as you well know, there's tremendous commercial projects about to happen just east from here," said Griffith.

Griffith says with a new location also comes improved services and more space for inventory.
"I think more than anything we need to update, expand and modernize, and I don't feel for what we want to do we can ask for a better piece of property than this," said Griffith. "We're going to be able to take a much different approach to business. We'll update everything in the dealership all the way from computer systems to furnishings especially throughout the service department which right now we've got a tremendous state-of-the- art service department, but we'll even step another notch above that," said Griffith.

The existing dealership building has been located on West Court Street for over 40 years. Griffith says despite its presence in town, he believes the future dealership on IH 10 will help showcase the other numerous developments and economic progress being witnessed here in Seguin.

"Obviously we believe in Seguin and we believe in the area or we wouldn't be taking this huge step. I can't see anything but a rosy picture for the Seguin area. Business has been good. We took over almost exactly two years ago from right now. Things have been good especially all things considered in the economy. We have certainly made a positive leeway. This is just an exciting time. We're anxious for more people in the Seguin area to shop us. I know that the location that we presently have is not easy to find and I think this location will be easy for everybody to access both coming and going," said Griffith.

General Manager Scott Brown says he too is excited about the new location and expects it to also open up some additional employment opportunities for Seguin. Griffith Ford currently operates other locations in Uvalde and San Marcos.

Statewide budget cuts claim AgriLife extension position

By Jessica Domel

(Seguin) -- Guadalupe County's Texas AgriLife extension office is now feeling the effects of a mandate by Gov. Rick Perry for state agencies to cut five-percent of their budgets. On Tuesday morning, Jeff Hanselka told the Guadalupe County Commissioners' Court that he had been notified that he was relieved of his position as the county extension agent for natural resources. Hanselka's position was one of many across the state that have been cut as agencies, like Texas AgriLife, and universities work to find ways to save money over the next two years.

Travis Franke, county extension agent for agriculture and resources, says the elimination of Hanselka's position will mean changes in the way things are handled at the local office.

"It's certainly going to change. We're all pretty busy here so when you take one of our individuals away from us, obviously we'll try to pick up some of the things that he was doing and some of the things maybe we'll have to let go by the wayside or have some of our 4-H adult leaders or etc.. pick those particular programs up so basically what we're going to have to do is prioritize what the issues are and what was being addressed by that particular individual and then pick up what we think is going to be important to the residents of the county and go from there," said Franke.

Franke says Hanselka was notified of his termination Monday.

"He did a lot of the natural resource type things, some of the wildlife programming, the forages and beef cattle production. Then through the 4-H program, part of the livestock program, which included, steers, poultry, sheep and goats and things like that. He will be missed. Especially in the 4-H program. We're going to ask our adult leaders to help pick up some of the slack there," said Franke.
There are approximately 250 county extension offices with 616 extension agents and 343 specialists across the state who work to improve the lives of people in their communities by providing educational opportunities and promoting stewardship of the environment.

Due to the state-wide budget cuts, officials estimate that 95 AgriLife extension employees could be fired this year.

Despite the budget cuts, Franke says the local extension office is still open and ready to serve the public. He says the staff may be a little short-handed, but they'll do what they can to meet the needs of the people in the county.

"Basically what had happened back in the beginning of the year, our administration was contacted by the legislator and the state government asking for a five-percent reduction in funding to our organization. That was money in this biennium. So basically we, at extension, are 90-percent people. So when we take five-percent from our organization - we're 90-percent people - so obviously we're going to lose positions," said Franke. "So that is the task that our administration has been under since then to prioritize these types of positions that are being eliminated. It's not only here. It's all across the state that this is going on. It's going to have an impact on us, but we've gone through things like this before and we've made it through it. Anytime you have state funding, that's always a possibility. We'll continue to go one from here, and we'll continue to try to address the needs of the people here in our county and continue the programs that we're doing."

State officials say that the mandatory five-percent budget cuts could add up to $6.2 million in savings for the Texas AgriLife Extension.

Navarro ISD considers more energy efficient way of conducting school

By Cindy Aguirre-Herrera

(Geronimo) -- The Navarro ISD is looking to take advantage of a lesson in energy savings. The district is considering adopting a comprehensive energy conservation services program to help make each campus more environmentally friendly, greener and more comfortable while at the same time reducing the energy costs for the school district.

Superintendent Dee Carter says currently the district does what it can to keep its equipment in good working order; however, the different types and styles of equipment plus the age of the different buildings can sometimes make maintenance very difficult and not so cost effective.

"We have a couple of old buildings. We've got lots and lots of the older light fixtures that are not energy efficient and we know that replacing our light fixtures with the newer more energy efficient recommended fixtures is a real good thing to do and our maintenance staff has been doing that but it's been slow work and we have very few people on staff. We also have several old air conditioning units and equipment wears out. They are not energy efficient. They break down frequently," said Carter.

Carter says with this energy conservation services program, it will essentially allow the district to pair up with Schneider Electric, an energy solutions business, in designing and installing new efficient energy upgrades at each one of its campuses. She says it is worthwhile investment for the district.

"You do have to borrow money to do it and you contract with a company like Schneider Electric that has done this for about 115 school districts in the state and what they do is they design it, they engineer it, they handle the installation of new equipment and then they guarantee that if they don't receive enough savings to make the payment on the loan that was taken out that they will make up that difference. They guarantee us a certain savings in the project and if for some reason we don't make that savings, they will pay us. That we believe makes it worthwhile to get all this work done if we can at once and enjoy those upgrades and be more energy efficient instead of just trying to do the projects one by one as we can afford them cash wise and as we have the man power to install them," said Carter.

The exact cost of the program is not yet official. However, estimated energy savings of $75,000 a year are projected if the district decides to pursue this energy conservation services program.

Joshua Pittman, sales manager for Schneider Electric, says this particular program has proven successful over decades. He says nearly 115 other Texas school district's have already adopted a similar plan with their company
"Luling is a good example because we have been working with them for over seven years and the project that was implemented there by the district is still performing to this day so really it speaks to volumes that you can save energy and you can save energy over a long period of time and it can be successful," said Pittman.

Pittman says although it is a business, in the end it will be the school district that benefits from such program...

"The economy as it is today I believe that energy savings and efficiency is moving to the forefront. Everyone is looking to save energy, to tighten their budgets, to make improvements, to go green and Navarro just happens to be one in the immediate area whose taking the initiative to all their schools and really drive their budget costs down. So spending the money and spending it effectively -- it's kudos to Navarro for looking at it and it is really is going to help the students as well. It's going to help their learning environment when they have an efficient run system, efficient run buildings and at the same time they're saving money. So it's really the best of both worlds for school districts," said Pittman.

District officials say such programs have been available under state law for the last 10 to 15 years. Currently about 20 percent of district's in the state have already taken advantage of such a program.

Area worker injured in industrial accident

By Jessica Domel

(McQueeney) -- An accident at an area manufacturing facility reportedly cost one man his foot Tuesday morning.

Deputy Clint Garza from the Guadalupe County Sheriff's Office says that it appears as though 22-year-old Cuauhtemoc Guerra was on a piece of equipment at Republic Plastics when he stepped into a shredder by accident.

Due to the nature of Guerra's injuries, he was flown from the facility Methodist Air Care to University Hospital in San Antonio for treatment.

Jose Cologne, manager of Republic Plastics, said he could not comment on the incident, but he did say that Guerra was okay and was being treated for his injuries.

No word yet on his condition.

Republic Plastics, which is located on FM 78 in McQueeney, manufactures foam food service products like carry out containers and plates.

IRS offers tax tips for students with summer jobs

The Internal Revenue Service says a number of tips are available for young people working this summer.

By Jessica Domel

(Seguin) -- The Internal Revenue Service's official tax-filing deadline may be over six months away, but officials at the IRS say that now is the time that many younger Americans need to be thinking about their taxes.

IRS spokesperson Lea Crusberg says that the IRS has several tax tips for students who are working this summer.

The first of those tips, according to Crusberg, is to ensure that enough taxes are withheld from a student's paycheck if they are working more than one job this summer. Crusberg says if enough taxes aren't withheld, that student could end up owing the government money at the end of the year.

"We basically have six tax tips for students working summer jobs and we recognize that school's out, kids are looking for money, things to do and a summer time job is a great thing," said Crusberg. "First of all, all employees fill out a W-4, which is a two-page form. It's an employee's withholding allowance certificate when they start a new job. This basically is used by employers to determine the amount of tax that should be withheld from their paycheck."

The IRS offers a withholding calculator on its website, www.irs.gov, for those working students who would like to ensure they have entered the proper amount of withholdings on their W-4 forms.

For those student workers who may be receiving tips this summer, Crusberg says all tip income a student receives is taxable and should be reported to the IRS.

"Many students may do odd jobs over the summer to make cash. This could be babysitting (or) mowing folks' lawns. These earnings, you need to report this. These are considering self-employment and these are subject to income tax. Also, if you're working as a waiter and you're getting tips, this is taxable income as well," said Crusberg.

If someone earns over $400 from self-employment, they are also subject to pay a self-employment tax. Crusberg says that tax pays for benefits through Social Security. Most seasonal newspaper carriers or distributors under the age of 18 are not subject to the self-employment tax.

Crusberg says if student workers still have questions about their summer income, additional tax tips are available online at www.irs.gov.

Marion couple aids Seguin man, woman injured in boating accident in Rockport

(Rockport) -- There are more details emerging about a boating accident near Rockport over the weekend that resulted in a local man losing his arm and his wife suffering serious injuries.

It now turns out that the couple that came to the aid of Mark and Sharon Westerholm was actually from Marion, and did not know the Westerholms.

We spoke to the couple and they wanted no recognition. They say they were just at the right place at the right time. They also credit Kerry Koehler, of Seguin, with helping to stop Westerholm's bleeding. Koehler and his wife, Mary, were also in the boat with the Westerholms when the accident occurred. The Koehlers were not injured.

The Westerholms were thrown into the water when they boat they were riding in made sharp 180-degree turn. Mark Westerholm's left arm was severed by the boat's propeller and Sharon Westerholm suffered serious cuts to her arms and legs.

Mark Westerholm is currently in a medically-induced coma. His wife is also recovering from severe cuts on her leg and arm. Both are currently listed in stable condition in the intensive care unit at Spohn (spawn) Memorial Hospital in Corpus Christi.

Seasonal job losses leads to higher unemployment rate'

By Jessica Domel

(Seguin) -- After falling in May, the Guadalupe County and Seguin unemployment rates are on the rise again.

Eva Esquivel, communications manager for Workforce Solutions Alamo, says that while the number of people looking for work did increase in June, the local jobless rate still rang in lower than the overall 12-county Alamo area's unemployment rate.

"Both the city and the county did go up with the unemployment rate. Seguin raised to 7.3-percent for the month of June, up from 6.7-percent in May. Guadalupe County went to 7.3-percent, as well, unemployment for the month of June up from 6.7-percent in May, but that's not unexpected for this time of year," said Esquivel.

Esquivel says the increase was expected because this is the time of year certain employers must release their employees for the summer.

"We actually saw the U.S. Census jobs that came at this time of year did contribute to a lower unemployment rate for us, but the release of those jobs also contributes to a higher unemployment rate for us. If you look at this time of year between May and June, we tend to trend up in our unemployment rate as more people enter the workforce. We have graduates who enter the workforce, and we also have people who are released from those temporary and seasonal jobs. For example, the public school districts will release all their hourly people at this time of year and then re-hire them again when the fall semester starts," said Esquivel. "So if you think about our historic trends for this time of year, we did increase by six-tenths of a percent, but last year we increased by a whole point, and the two previous years before that, seven and eight-tenths of a percent. So this is the lowest increase we've had at this time of year in the last five years."

On another positive note, Esquivel says that manufacturing jobs in the 12-county area that Workforce Solutions Alamo services have also risen to the tune of approximately 100 additional jobs between May and June.

Esquivel says other sectors also saw some growth this summer as well.

"We saw some wonderful increases in industries that we feel are key economic generators for positive growth. For example, we had 900 new jobs in our metro region in construction. In addition to that, we also saw professional and business services gain 900 jobs. That's very good for us because both of those are indicators that we might be moving in a better place very soon," said Esquivel. "The total job market expanded by 2,300 jobs between May and June. When we talk about the metro region, we're talking about the Guadalupe and Seguin area along with seven other counties - Bexar County included."

Each month Workforce Solutions Alamo collects unemployment data for 12-area counties. She says this region continues to fair better than the state and nation when it comes to the number of people looking for work.

"We continue to trend well below the state and the nation. When you look at the overall unemployment rate for the San Antonio metro region at 7.7-percent, the state of Texas registered 8.5-percent and the U.S. 9.6-percent. So we're trending almost two whole points lower than the nation and continue to do quite better than the state as a whole," said Esquivel.

In the 12-county Alamo area, Gillespie County again registered the lowest unemployment rate at 4.9-percent.

Seguin artist selected for prestigious Texas tour

The art pieces, as well as the skills and talents used in creating these fine wood sculptures, will soon be available to all Texans. Artist Marika Bordes, of Seguin, has been selected to participate in the prestigious 2010-2011 Texas Touring Roster of the Texas Commission on the Arts. Bordes is one of only a handful of Texas artists who have been selected for the opportunity.

By Cindy Aguirre-Herrera

(Seguin) -- Local Sculptor Marika Bordes is taking her art on the road. Bordes, a member of the Seguin Oakwood Art League and the Texas Society of Sculptors ,has been selected by the Texas Commission on the Arts to participate in its 2010-2011 Texas Touring Roster. Bordes is one of only 124 individuals and companies to receive the grant award.

By being chosen for the touring roster, the wood carving sculptor will receive the opportunity to offer presentations, demonstrations and workshops to adults and youth. Through these presentations, Bordes says she hopes to inspire people to appreciate the importance of art.

"It's a great honor, although we applied for it, but after that when I knew about the process (and of ) getting in, I feel very blessed and honored to be with such a group of people. I do think by going all over to show people what we can do with wood, I will pass on the legacy that I received from my people to other people that will continue it," said Bordes.

The state of Texas designed the Touring Arts Program to ensure that all Texans have the ability to enjoy performances and presentations in their own communities by what they call 'outstanding Texas-based artists’.

"Artists on the Texas Touring Roster travel to communities across the state and perform in a variety of venues," said Gary Gibbs, TCA executive director. "In addition to performances, they may also conduct workshops, master classes, residences, lecture-demonstrations or arts education components as a way to engage community residents. We are proud to offer the citizens of Texas access to such high-quality artistic talent."

Gaye McElwain, director marketing and communications for the Texas Commission on the Arts, says Seguin should be proud of Bordes' accomplishments thus far. She says selection for the touring list is limited to the elite and most creative artists and performance companies around.

"It is prestigious in the sense that those artists are going to be looked at by Texas presenters state wide to be brought into their communities to do workshops and exhibitions and performances -- things of that type. So we at the Commission on the Arts want to make sure that the list that we are providing are all the highest quality, people who are good not only in terms of artistic product but that are also going to be a good addition to their community in terms of the way they can communicate about their artwork maybe do some educational outreach -- things of that type," said McElwain.

The Texas Commission on the Arts does not provide funds to artists in the Texas Touring Roster. Instead, TCA provides grants to arts presenters, schools, libraries, theatres and other non profits throughout Texas to help with the cost of bringing in companies and artists from the roster.

Bordes says what is particularly exciting for her is the opportunity to spread the word about Seguin as an arts destination.

"Here in Seguin we have so many talents and I'm experiencing it everyday. Actually, I have nine students, and we are going to have that exhibition in October. You are all going to see how it is. The variety of talents and thought and creativity -- I think we need people to know who we are in Seguin, and I don't mean that I'm the best ambassador for it, but I will do my best to let people know who we are in Seguin and what we can do," said Bordes.

Artists on this year's Texas Touring Roster range from individual performing and visual artist to large performing arts companies.

Artistic disciplines include music, visual art, dance, theatre, storytelling, literary art and folk art.

Texas Lutheran names interim president

(Seguin) -- The Chair of the Texas Lutheran University Board of Regents announced today that Dr. Robert Vogel has agreed to serve as Interim President of TLU beginning July 26.

“Dr. Vogel’s wealth of experience in Lutheran higher education will be a tremendous asset to TLU,” said Robin A. Melvin, TLU Board Chair. “After serving in several interim positions, he understands the critical role of an interim president in moving TLU forward while we conduct a presidential search.”

Dr. Vogel served as president of Wartburg College, a Lutheran college in Waverly, Iowa, from 1980 until his retirement in 1998. Since retirement, he has served as interim president at three Lutheran colleges: Grand View College in Des Moines, Iowa; Waldorf College in Forest City, Iowa; and Bethany College in Lindsborg, Kansas. He is currently a member of the Bethany College Board of Directors.

Dr. Vogel graduated from Wartburg College and Wartburg Theological Seminary. After graduation, he served as a pastor in Golden and Denver, Colorado, then joined the staff of the American Lutheran Church. From 1973 to 1980, he was assistant to David Preus, president of the American Lutheran Church.

Originally from Phillipsburg, Kansas, Dr. Vogel now lives in Denver, Colorado, with his wife Sally. They have two children and four grandchildren. Dr. Vogel has a personal tie to TLU’s history – his great uncle was Dr. William Kraushaar, TLU president from 1929 to 1954. Dr. Vogel will move into the TLU President’s home with his wife Sally the week of August 9.

Over the next several weeks, TLU’s Board of Regents will appoint a presidential search committee to conduct a formal search for the next president of TLU.

Playin' at the Berg

These kids hop on the playscape at Seguin's Blumberg Park. An effort is underway to encourage families and others who live near the park to utilize the city park located on Avenue D two blocks south of Kingsbury Street.

Seguin couple injured in boating accident

By Cindy Aguirre-Herrera

(Rockport) -- A trip to the Texas coast has left a Seguin couple seriously injured.

Officials say a freak boating accident in Rockport caused 49-year-old Mark Westerholm to have his left arm severed by a propeller.

Texas Parks and Wildlife game wardens say the accident occurred just before 2 p.m. Saturday near Goose Island on the Intracoastal Waterway. Also injured when the boat pilot lost control of the steering wheel, was Westerholm's wife, Sharon.

Officials say the couple was thrown into the water when the bay boat made a sharp 180 degree turn.

Reports also indicate that a fishing guide and his wife came to the couple's rescue immediately after the accident. Officials say luckily, the wife was a medic in Afghanistan and was able to stop Westerholm's bleeding.

Westerholm is currently in a medically induced coma. His wife is also recovering from severe cuts on her leg and arm. Both are currently in the intensive care unit at Spohn Memorial Hospital in Corpus Christi.

Kerry and Mary Koehler, of Seguin, were also in the boat at the time of the accident. Officials say they were not injured in the accident.

GBRA opens area lakes following flooding; Officials say some restrictions still in place for safety

By Jessica Domel

(Seguin) -- Three weeks ahead of schedule, the Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority has announced that all area lakes are now open following the flooding early last month. David Welsch, executive manager of business development and resource management at GBRA, says that as of noon Friday, all the lakes were re-opened, but with some restriction.

"All six of the hydro-electric lakes - Dunlap, McQueeney, Placid, Nolte, H-4 and H-5 - are open for all use. That's motorized and non-motorized watercraft and so-forth with the exception of no inflatables and no water toys. That prohibition has been extended to Sept. 16 allowing time for the lake capacity study to review the issue of inflatables on the lakes," said Welsch. "There is a limit on nighttime use and that is it is limited to a no-wake speed, that would be headway speed, from 30 minutes after sunset to 30 minutes before sunrise. So the night component - if someone's out on the lakes, it's no wake speed only. That's in cooperation of each of the lake associations in trying to bring all lakes open at a common time and also with common restrictions for enforcement purposes."

At this time, Welsch says boaters can tow people and objects, but not inflatables. After further inspections of the lake are complete, if it is deemed safe, inflatables will again be allowed on the lakes.

Following the flood in early June, Welsch says GBRA had to restrict access to all the area lakes to protect the public.

"The lakes suffered substantial damage during the recent flood - I think it was June the 9th. As a result of that, there was submerged debris - I'm going to guess that 75 to 100 jetskis had been lost - boats, metal, wood, lots of plastics, lots of moving gravel and sand and a lot of debris. So we closed the lakes, we lowered them for inspections and had a great group of volunteers from all the lake associations. We marked the items, developed a priority system and each of the lake in the cooperation of GBRA, the city, the county and others went through a process of restoring the lakes to use, but we needed to do so in a process that we needed to be sure they were safe," said Welsch. "So we went through a phase opening where the first couple of days it was boats only and that's because you get wave action and wake and you suddenly dislodge things that you hadn't seen before. They come lose from the bottom. That gives us a period of time to remove those. So it goes through that progression, and this is the final step of opening, but we still want to give it some time. That's why night use should be limited so it's a safe speed because things could still dislodge and we're trying to be cautious about it."

Welsch says GBRA initially announced that the lakes would be closed until the beginning of August as a safety precaution, but Welsch says thanks to the help of many area residents, the lakes are ready to be re-opened.

"The historic method of restoration was through NRCS federal funding, and that takes a process of their inspections, not just ours, and those just now occured. If you follow the process, then they have to prepare damage survey reports. They have to get those to the state conservationist. He sends those to Washington to request funds. They have a fund, but they don't have any money in the fund, so they have to appropriate the funds, and then it comes back, you write specs, go out for bids and then you go through restoration. If the money's granted to you, then you have to have a 25-percent local match. That process would take five or six months," said Welsch. "The people in this area were anxious to get back as soon as possible. The original date of Aug. 3 was just an estimate saying, 'It could be longer if it was NRC. It could be closer or something if we get some local projects.' We were very successful through the collaborative efforts that we were able to remove the debris (and) restore the lakes in a period of time where people are still able to enjoy the summer use."

Welsch says GBRA will continue to work with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to see if funding is available to help clean-up non-lake, rural areas where debris from upstream has landed. He says these areas of the river may be out of sight, but the debris from upstream is nuisance and it needs to be cleaned.

GBRA is a water conservation and reclamation district that provides stewardship for the water resources in 10-counties, including Guadalupe, Comal, Hays and Gonzales.

Missing Seguin home builder found getting off plane from Mexico

By Darren Dunn

(San Antonio) -- What many people had been quietly saying in Seguin was apparently true about a local home builder who was believed to have drowned in Canyon Lake.

Michael Osberg, who owns Ram Custom Homes, did not drown. He was apparently in Mexico -- a rumor that multiple sources had suggested when the story first broke about Osberg's disappearance on Memorial Day weekend.

Osberg lives in New Braunfels, but he was well known in Seguin for the houses that he built in the area. He was found Thursday night at the San Antonio International Airport getting off a flight from Mexico City. Officials at the Comal County Sheriff's Office, which has been handling the missing persons case, say customs agents stopped Osberg after his name appeared on a missing persons list.

It's believed that Osberg staged his disappearance, but it's not clear why. He is not expected to face charges.

Dozens of man hours were devoted to finding Osberg when his boat washed up in a cove on Canyon Lake. The search lasted approximately one week. At that time, sheriff's investigators said they no longer believed that Osberg had drowned and the incident was converted to a missing persons case.

Public helps capture criminals through narcotic tipline

By Jessica Domel

(Seguin) -- Just over a month ago, the Seguin Police Department launched an anonymous tip line to allow residents the opportunity to report narcotic activity in their neighborhoods. Since that time, Seguin Police Det. Sgt. Aaron Seidenberger says the tip line has enabled them to put at least three people behind bars and seize cocaine, marijuana and other illegal items.

"I think it's helped the department and also the city, and due to some recent calls to the hotline, we've actually been able to develop narcotic search warrants and had some success serving those search warrants and taking some narcotics off the street as well as arresting some suspects," said Seidenberger.

On July 7, the Seguin PD served a search warrant at an apartment in the 300 block of West Ireland Street after an anonymous tip was called into the line. That tip led to the recovery of 11 grams of crack cocaine, less than an ounce of marijuana, a syringe of heroine and over $200. Enrique Rodriguez, 24, and Petra Amanda Arce, 27, were both arrested for manufacturing and delivering a controlled substance and possession of marijuana.

The next day the tip line again sent a local resident to the Guadalupe County Jail. Seidenberger says Rodney Ratcliff, 57, was arrested at a home in the 500 block of East Pine Street after police seized under an ounce of marijuana and prescription drugs.

Seidenberger says the tip line is just one of the ways the police department is encouraging residents to become more involved in the local fight against crime. He says the department will continue to encourage people to call in crime tips because those tips truly help the department address issues like drugs and graffiti.

"I almost hate to limit it just here to narcotics. The phone here at the Seguin PD is always available just by calling the 830-379-2123. That's answered all the time, and someone will always be there to answer your call. You can call that regular line and remain anonymous; however, if the person or the citizen feels more comfortable calling the narcotics hotline, which is designed strictly for that just setup as a hotline, and they don't have narcotics information, but maybe some burglary information or the latest robbery suspect information that we've been dealing with. I don't want to discourage people from calling for that either. We basically would like to have any information and all information as it may be pertenant to multiple investigations and not just narcotics investigations," said Seidenberger.

The Seguin Police Department's narcotics hotline can be reached by calling 401-2391.

Tickets are still available for 100 Club fundraiser

By Jessica Domel

(Seguin) -- The Guadalupe County 100 Club is working to help the family of a deputy who died unexpectedly late last month. President Angela Mark says the non-profit organization will be hosting a sausage and barbeque chicken fundraiser from noon to 8 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 1 at the KC Hall to raise funds for the family of Deputy Andie Simmons.

To-go plates will be sold from noon to 4 p.m. At 4 p.m., the organization will open up the doors to the KC Hall for dine-in plates, socializing, the silent auction, live music and a bucket drop.

Mark says tickets are on-sale now for the fundraising event.

"We have three locations that the tickets are available at. The first location is KWED radio station. We have some at the sheriff's office here on Guadalupe Street and also at Century 21-United D&D," said Mark. "The tickets are $8 each, and all of the proceeds for the day's events are going to Brooke Simmons. She is the widow of Deputy Andie Simmons."

Simmons is also survived by his twin 11-month old daughters Addison and Allison. Mark says although Simmons did not die in the line-of-duty, his death at the age of 34 was unexpected for his family, and the organization wants to help the family out in any way it can - the way Simmons served the people of Guadalupe County.

"The Guadalupe County 100 Club is a non-profit organization that helps first-responders who are injured or killed in the line-of-duty," said Mark. "Deputy Andie Simmons worked at the Guadalupe County Sheriff's Office, and although he didn't pass away in the line-of-duty, he served our community and he had just left his shift. We really want to help him and his family as much as possible."

To support the fundraiser, many of Simmons' friends and co-workers have helped the organization gather donations for the silent auction, raffle and bucket drop. Mark says all of these donations will be used to raise more funds for the Simmons' family.

"We have over 100 auction items. We're going to have a silent auction. We're going to have a bucket drop, and we're going to have door prizes throughout the night," said Mark. "We're going to have three bands who have volunteered to play so we'll have live music and also a DJ there, so it'll be a whole lot of fun."

Although tickets will be on-sale at the door on the day of the event, Mark says the group asks that people buy tickets early to give planners a better idea of how many plates to make.

"In order for us to get a better headcount, we encourage everybody to come out and buy advanced tickets. We're cooking the food ourselves. We have volunteers from all over, and they're all helping us cook. So getting a headcount will help us know how much we need to cook," said Mark.

To donate to the event, contact Mark at 210-317-6937 or 512-876-5890. You can also e-mail angelamark@sbcglobal.net or jessica@kwed1580.com.

ZDT's unleashes Mad Raft in Seguin; New water coaster will help beat the summer heat

ZDT's Amusement Park is hoping to make a big splash with its new Mad Raft Hydro Coaster. The water ride is the latest attraction to be constructed at the park located at 1218 N. Camp St. Photo by Andie Rangel-Jenner

By Cindy Aguirre-Herrera

(Seguin) -- Summer in Seguin just got a whole lot cooler. The Mad Raft Hydro Coaster is now open for business at ZDT's Amusement Park. The water ride is the latest attraction getting plenty of attention from thrill seekers from throughout the area.

Park owner Sarah Donhauser says the water coaster, which officially opened up on Tuesday, is the first of its kind in Seguin.

"It’s a water coaster, not a slide. So it’s kind-of a combination of a slide and a coaster because it has the uphills and the downhills. It has water jets that propel them up so it’s an exciting ride with a lot of twists and turns and ups and downs, and it’s a wet ride, so they're gonna get soaking wet," said Donhauser.

Plenty of people took advantage of the Texas heat to test out the giant water ride. Among those who couldn't get enough of the fun was 9-year-old Ryan Dotson.

"Can we go again? It was fun! There's like little black chutes in it that boost you. That's the funniest part," said Dotson.

Helping to steer the double seated tube was Dotson's grandmother, Charlotte. Charlotte says she and her husband don't mind taking the drive from San Antonio for a little quality time with their grandson. Plus with this new ride, she says they hope to be back.

"It was great. It was great! I didn't know I was going to get so wet but it really fun. We'll do it again won't we Ryan?" said Charlotte. "Yeah, let's go," said Dotson.

Donhauser says the Mad Raft's popularity in the end will help her and her husband Danny decide on what type of new ride will be next on their list.

"We've got indoor and outdoor, and now we've got dry and wet. So it’s our first water ride and we'll see how customers respond to this and decide if we're going to add on more water rides," said Donhauser.

Keeping his fingers crossed that ZDT goes in the direction of adding more water rides is Jorge Ibarra. Ibarra says it's just great to be able to have some summer fun in Seguin.

"The Mad Raft is very exhilarating I guess. When you go uphill it kind of tickles your backside, but its pretty fast. Its a lot of pressure in there. We don't have really many things like this in Seguin and its really fun," said Ibarra.

ZDT is open every day through Aug. 22. Extreme wristbands, which provide unlimited access to all rides including the Mad Raft, are $17.99. The amusement park is located at 1218 N. Camp St.

Five Star Title Makes a Commitment to Downtown With Building, Parking Lot Purchase

Five Star Title employees (from left to right): Fern Riley, Ann Moreno, Aileen Garza, Karen Schaker, Tony Schaker, Dolores Rangel, Debbie Koehn and Cynthia Points.

By Mary Jo Filip, Main Street Program Director

(Seguin) -- According to Tony Schaker, when Guadalupe County made a commitment to stay in downtown Seguin, the decision to purchase a building downtown that would house Five Star Title Company became a natural. Five Star Title, owned by Tony and his wife, Karen Schaker, recently purchased the former offices of AB Texas Insurance including the parking lot on the corner of Austin and Mountain, previously owned by American Bank. The red-brick two-storefront historic building is located in the 300-block of North Austin Street and houses Five Star’s eight employees.

“We are here to stay,” Karen said, noting that they are the only title company in Seguin that owns their own building. “Having our own private parking lot on Austin Street surrounded by mature oak trees, colorful flower beds and a brick wall fashioned of Seguin brick adds an extra degree of convenience for our customers,” she adds. “We cannot be happier having downtown Seguin our permanent home,” said Tony.

The acquisition was made possible through the efforts of Steven Smith and Bernie Mueller of American Bank. Tony and Karen acknowledge a special thank you to Larry Lippe, owner of Five Star’s original location at the corner of Austin and Gonzales and are appreciative of the working relationship they had with him through the years. “We had a great location at the corner of Austin and Gonzales downtown. Mr. Lippe’s building offers a great opportunity to anyone interested in setting up a business downtown,” Tony said, noting that starting out as a tenant was a good way to grow their business to the point of being able to purchase their own property.

In addition to the benefit of a title company being located close to the County Courthouse, Tony said he and Five Star Title Company employees enjoy the premier seating for events like the recent 4th of July Parade, as well as the convenience of being able to walk to Mi Casita Restaurant which is located just across the street, Amy’s & Cathy’s Take-out and other downtown eating establishments.

A mural featuring local attractions covers the south wall of the interior of Five Star Title Company's new location in the 300-block of North Austin Street. The public is invited to step inside the offices and admire the mural created by local artist Aesop Cardenas.

Of course the move to their own building wouldn’t be possible without the support of customers and patrons for their business. According to Karen, “The customers have made this all possible, and we are certainly thankful for the support of the community.” Five Star is a full-service title company licensed in Guadalupe and Comal Counties and can provide closing services anywhere in Texas. “We offer a three-day turn around and we’re available after hours and on weekends by appointment. Basically we will open, so our customers can close”, Karen added.

The building that Five Star Title purchased had been remodeled into modern office space several years ago by the bank. The Schakers took the interior of their main offices up a notch, adding designer oak doors encased in fluted oak molding and accented with rosettes, in keeping with a traditional and understated elegance. The hallway is adorned with a custom fabric upholstered wall offset by oak wainscoting which provides a warmth and richness to remainder of the office. The crowning jewel of the new space is a stunning hand-painted mural featuring Seguin’s local landmarks which covers the entire wall of the reception area. Local artist Aesop Cardenas was commissioned to create the mural and the Schaker’s invite the public to drop in for a cup of coffee and to see this terrific addition to downtown’s historic-themed murals .

FIVE STAR TITLE’S new location is one of six properties that have sold downtown in 2010. Other properties have been purchased by a doctor, a lawyer, a retailer, and an investor who plans to construct apartments in the vacant second story of one of the buildings. These are all good signs that downtown Seguin is moving forward as a vibrant place for doing business, working, living and celebrating in the historic heart of our community.